I don’t know what it is this year, but I’ve been thinking about Christmas (and looking forward to it) since August. So much so that I have once again volunteered to host Christmas at my house again, even begging people to come. What kind of whacko WANTS to host Christmas, with all of the cleaning, mess, and chaos? Well, I guess that whacko would be ME.
So what is it that’s so alluring about Christmas? Well, I guess it would have to be that many of my happiest memories happened at Christmas. Like the time I got the Barbie when I was about 3 or 4 that had the ‘magic’ solution that would perm her hair. I remember my eyes going wide as Barbie’s lovely long blond locks shrunk and curled up into an Afro so tight, it could have rivaled Roberta Flack. Or the year Great Uncle I.B. pulled out his false teeth, and I clearly remember my revulsion. Or maybe just being at Mamaw and Papaw’s, with Mamaw’s tree in the corner, adorned with handmade ornaments and the house being so full of people there wasn’t anywhere to go. Or, the year that my mom put up the biggest Christmas tree I had seen (besides one in, oh, Times Square) and it was piled with glass ornaments, all in shades of gold, white, or iridescent pearl. Coincidentally, that was also the year she nearly stabbed out her eye with one of the branches, and had to wear a huge eyepatch all holiday. And, the year of the big ice storm in the 80’s that knocked out power for days, and all there was to do was sit in the living room under a blanket and listen to the sound of ice pellets bounce off of the roof. ,
I look forward to most everything about Christmas. Some of my favorite things are; the food (duh), baking, looking at Christmas lights (even in the rain), wrapping presents, playing Santa, getting to see everyone in one place, and decorating my SIX Christmas trees. I especially love Christmas lights. The bright fuschia ones, for whatever reason, just about make me drool. I don’t use any all-white lights on my trees; I love the rainbow of colored lights.
Can you remember the Christmas trees you had growing up? I can. For years, we had a “White Trash” tree, that is, one with a multitude of colored lights and nine zillion ornaments in nine zillion shapes and sizes. I call ’em White Trash trees because it seems that MOST trees you see nowadays all have the white lights with cutesy coordinated ornaments. Not mine, honey! I have TWO White Trash trees and they are adorned with about 400 ornaments each, some of which really aren’t even official ornaments, just cool stuff I stick in it. Like the plastic uber-tacky Nativity scene with plastic donkeys and the tiny, plastic, molded little baby Jesus. I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. Or, the clothespin reindeer with googly eyes that my Mamaw probably made in the 70’s, or, the funky gold-glittered bird made out of clothespins that takes up a good 1/16th of the tree. I also have two vintage aluminum trees (one is the ‘pompom’ variety), which I haven’t put out in a while due to my children consistently trying to rip the aluminum from the branches.
Anyway, I am ready for the madness and joy of the season! Are you?
My Little Country 
I would never call them trash trees. It is our memory tree. It is filled with ornaments that I made before children, my boys ornaments that they made in school, my childhood ornaments, and my husband’s childhood ornaments. Our 30 year old Christmas tree is lovely. The holes that hold the branches on are getting wallowed out. They are severely drooping. The boys remember going to Dillard’s Dept. store and buying it. They thought it was a beautiful tree. It has green and a tiny bit of silver (aluminum) mixed with it. The silver catches the tree lights and makes the whole tree shine so very bright. We love it.
I wouldn’t call the trees with colored lights white trash trees. Ours was just purchased 3 years ago at the request of our then 18 year old — because she just loved them better than the white lights (the white lighted trees are just too common for her). We love the colors and think it adds to all the other decor at Christmas. We are big on Nutcrackers — due to the same child’s (now 21 years old) collecting Nutcrackers.
Have a Merry Christmas.
They are, to be sure, my favorite! You just can’t beat a colored light tree!